Wintry weather to hit several southern states (with forecast video)

Look for messy weather today, Dec. 10, and tonight across the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and Northwest. Precipitation will practically run the gamut, from rain to snow and sleet. Truckers are bound to run into typical delays on major highways and secondary routes.

A sharp drop in temperatures behind a cold front will change rain to snow – with a brief period of sleet in between – along I-40 from Little Rock to Knoxville. The transition will occur gradually from west to east the rest of today through tonight. Other areas such as Memphis, Tupelo, Nashville, Huntsville and Asheville could get light accumulations, mainly on grassy areas, bridges, and overpasses. But sometimes, it doesn’t take much snow to send drivers “slip sliding away” on southern roads.

Overnight, up to three inches could accumulate in parts of the Tennessee Smokies and the mountains of southwestern Virginia. Then, the snow will spread along I-95 from Washington, D.C. to Boston overnight into tomorrow morning, Dec. 11. Up to four inches could pile up in the Hartford, Providence and Boston metropolitan areas.

Lake effect snowfall will be heavy today and tonight from Michigan to upstate New York. Cities like Grand Marais, Ontonagon, Copper Harbor and Houghton in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could get hit with three to nine inches through early Wednesday, depending on exact location. Areas along I-75 in northern lower Michigan could see up to four inches, fading later today.

In upstate New York, several inches of lake effect snowfall will blanket Buffalo, Jamestown, Watertown and Oswego. Winds will be gusty, so blowing snow may cause occasional white-out conditions. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for all of the areas previously mentioned in this article. Check chain laws here for the latest updates on winter driving.

Last, but not least, a Pacific storm will produce a brief round of heavy rain and snow across portions of the Cascades overnight and early tomorrow. This could slow down drivers over mountain passes on I-84 and I-90.

Other notable weather

Powerful winds will once again blow across southeastern Wyoming from this evening through Wednesday afternoon. Look for steady crosswinds of 35 to 45 mph on I-25 and I-80 with gusts up to 65 mph. This includes the cities of Bordeaux, Arlington, Elk Mountain, Buford, Pumpkin Vine, Vedauwoo, Whitaker, Federal and Horse Creek.

Bitterly cold weather later tonight will spread from Bismarck to Minneapolis, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as lows drop into the teens and 20s below zero. Wind chills will range from 15° to 35° below zero. Frostbite can develop in 10 to 15 minutes in these conditions. Drivers should spend as little time as possible outside their trucks.

In his nearly 20 years of weather forecasting experience, Nick worked on air at WBBJ-TV and WRCB-TV, including time spent doing weather analysis and field reporting. He received his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from Georgia Institute of Technology. Nick is also a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association.
As a member of the weather team at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee, Nick was nominated for a Mid-South Emmy for live coverage of a major tornado outbreak in 2008. As part of the weather team at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nick shared the Chattanooga Times-Free Press Best of the Best award for “Best Weather Team” for eight consecutive years. Nick earned his National Weather Association Broadcasting Seal in 2005.